Another Brick In The Wall Between Us
by mangacrack
Summary: The Rinnegan in his left eye-socket throbbed and Sasuke was thankful that his former team thought him insane already.


**Warning:** Spoilers for Chapter 692

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><p>Relief touched Sasuke, the first in a very long time when the trapped Bijuu entered the sky. Despite what the remaining people on the battlefield thought, they were not trapped in stone. Sasuke refused to make the mistake the First Hokage had done, when he sealed the Kyuubi into his wife. He would not rob the Bijuu of their autonomy. Of course they were beasts and should not be anywhere near the race of humanity, but they were also magnificent.<p>

They deserved better.

The Rinnegan in his left eye-socket throbbed and Sasuke was thankful that his former team thought him insane already. His smile would be seen as one of a madman, not a true show of amusement. Still, inside his mind Sasuke scoffed a little. A remote part had expected better of the people, who fought and defeated Kaguya with him.

Had they forgotten already that the greatest ability of the Sharingan was Genjutsu? It was fairly easy, to let his team think he had imprisoned the Bijuu.

Sasuke glanced sideways. The beasts were still there, of course. While he could make them and his team believe he had gone mad, betraying Naruto's precious dream of peace and harmony, his powers did not reached as far as lifting such a great deal of mass with his thoughts alone. But his abilities or rather his understanding of the world did allow him to create different realities.

One for the Bijuu, one for the race of humanity.

It was straining of course and it could kill him, but removing bad influences away from each other would it be worth. Sasuke cared less about recognition. Had he wanted to be a war hero, he could have returned to Konoha after Itachi's death. Could have tried to destroy the corrupted village from within, changing it slowly and indefinitely.

Yet Sasuke knew he would give into the temptation of peaceful rest himself, if he chose the long and less painful way. Staying in Konoha, back then and now would mean longing for company, drinking with comrades in the evenings and moaning about work in the mornings. The idea was _nice_, yes. Similar to Hagoromo's idea of getting along.

_Stupid old man_, an older part of Sasuke's soul sneered. _After all this time he still doesn't trust my judgment. _

As bewildered the Sage of the Six Path tried to look, Sasuke doubted the old man was actually surprised by his descendants actions. While Naruto was rambling in outrage, Sasuke noticed the thoughtful look on Hagoromo's face.

Sasuke's smile widened.

_Will you tell him_, he mused silently. _Picking Ashura's side of the never ending battle once again? Or will you trust my sight and vision this time? _

Hagoromo did not answer, but also didn't inform Naruto about Sasuke's weaving of realities either. Further and further the Sage started to fade, just as the Bijuu started to get bored in the empty landscape they believed to be landed in. Slowly each of them started to leave, finally going their way. Sasuke knew they would be able to contact each other some day, when his illusion had worn off.

Depending on how long he survived, Sasuke might even live to suffer their wrath, but at least humanity would no longer believe in the Bijuu, thinking them gone. Obito had started the Fourth War by rising Uchiha Madara from the dead just with his name alone and the collective conviction had opened a pathway from the afterlife, letting a man return who officially had been buried a century ago.

Really, Sasuke was just reserving the effect.

He would hide the Bijuu from view and soon no one would be able to see them, because _hey, Uchiha Sasuke had sealed them, didn't he? … _ The people would be dealing with the changes the war brought already. They would get used to the absence of the Tailed Beasts as well and one day they would stay away from them, remembering the destruction the Fourth Ninja War had wrought in their name.

And despite what Naruto thought, he was not bent on destruction for the heck of it. He just intended not to let children play with fire. And like his brother, his dearly loved Itachi he was prepared to take his secret into his grave. If dying meant changing the status quo, he would do it gladly. It mattered not how he would be remembered in the end.

Illusions were lies in the end and they worked even better, when they were sealed with a death. Far more final and much harder to undo.

„I will end this sibling rivalry!" he heard Naruto scream across the battlefield.

Sasuke had to hold back a laugh. Naruto would never be able to end this. Reincarnation of the way the world functioned on, letting the dead rest and the newborn start over. Was it his fault that Ashura followed him through the time?

_You will end it the day you stop chasing after me_, Sasuke thought and drew his sword.

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><p><strong>A.N.:<strong>

My take on Chapter 692, thrown together with my convinction that Sasuke is more aware of his previous self than Naruto. I also had to include the irony that the endless silbing rivalry is based on „Naruto" chasing after „Sasuke". Someone had to inniate the reincarnation one and Naruto / Ashura is the one with the right motivation.

I also think Sasuke doesn't aim for ending the world etc. He wants to change it, like he said before. Yet through his history he is the _better be safe than sorry_ type. Despite, it's always a matter of perception what can be considered as _right_ or _heroic_.


End file.
